Inventing the wheel: Moto 360, the first circular smart watch

The era of the smartwatch is well and truly upon us. Ready your wishlists, because the Moto 360 is the latest to arrive – and, as the name suggests, it’s the first to opt for a circular face. To be the first to pre-order this device, register your interest here.

It’s also one of the first smartwatches to run Android Wear, which means that if you have a phone running Android 4.3 or above, you’ll be able to use the watch for far more than just telling the time. Join the O2 Gurus as we take a look at what it can do:

Find your way around without looking lost

Do you sometimes find yourself so busy frowning down at a map on your phone, that you end up walking into a tree or a puddle or something, er, worse? The Moto 360 uses Google Maps to give you turn-by-turn directions and all you need to do to take advantage of them is glance down at your wrist – so no more looking lost and no need to worry about stepping in anything untoward. If it’s raining or you’re navigating through a desert, you’ll be glad to learn that the Moto 360 is also water and dust resistant.

Never be late again

More than just giving you directions, the Moto 360 also alerts you if there are any travel issues relating to your journey – be that traffic jams, flight delays, tube upsets or freak hailstorms. It’s going to get pretty tricky to use being stuck in traffic as an excuse for being with one of these strapped to your wrist.

Look mum, no hands!

Part of the beauty of a smartwatch is that you don’t need to mess around getting your phone out – and the Moto 360 lets you keep your hands truly free by using voice control. Just say ‘Ok Google’ and it lets you schedule a meeting, send a text or dictate a note without needing a single finger swipe.

Take a look as O2 Guru Davina went hands on to try it out:

Stay up to date without appearing rude

A casual glance at your smartwatch is enough to check whether you have any messages, missed calls or imminent appointments as the Moto 360 syncs with your Android phone and Google account. Not only does this mean you can save yourself the hassle of getting your phone out, it also means you won’t come across as rude to the people you’re with – even though you’re still more interested in your messages than conversation with them.

Get in shape

The Moto 360 isn’t all work and no play: it also comes with a number of fitness monitoring features to help you get the most out of your workouts. Not only can it count your steps throughout the day, but it also monitors your heart-rate too.

Look sharp

With so much tech packed in, it’s a wonder that the Moto 360 still manages to look like an actual watch – but it does, and a great-looking one at that. The edge-to-edge display means you don’t have to put up with an unsightly bezel around the round watchface, and you can customise both the watchface and strap to suit your style.

The Moto 360 clearly has a lot to offer, so what would you use it for? Register your interest here to stay on top of the latest information, and let us know what you think of the smartwatch in the comments below or on Twitter @O2 with the hashtag #O2Guru.